1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to compounds that inhibit HCV replication and are therefore useful in treating hepatitis C. The present invention is also directed to pharmaceutical compositions comprising these compounds and processes for preparing them.
2. State of the Art
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a (+)-sense single-standed RNA virus that is a major cause of non-A, non-B hepatitis worldwide. A large percentage of people infected with HCV develop chronic liver disease. This chronic hepatitis C infection, in turn, makes them at high risk for developing serious liver diseases such as liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and terminal liver disease leading to death. Currently, hepatitits C infections are treated with either injectable interferon or with pegylated forms of interferon such as PEG-Intron® and Pegasys®, alone or in combination with Ribavirin. These therapies, however, induce severe side effects such as retinopathy, thyroiditis, acute pancreatitis, depression. Therefore, there is a need for safe, oral drug for the treatment of hepatitis C infections. The present invention fulfils this and related needs.